Negotiations Break Down in Ohio Congressional Redistricting Talks

Closed-door negotiations over a new way to draw Ohio’s Congressional map have broken down. Statehouse Correspondent Jo Ingles reports lawmakers and representatives from citizens’ groups left the Statehouse late last night without coming to an agreement.

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Talks on congressional redistricting break down

The two sides have been trying to amend a redistricting plan GOP lawmakers want in a way that would be acceptable to citizens’ groups that are pushing their own reform for the fall ballot. But shortly after 10 last night, Catherine Turcer from Common Cause Ohio said changes had not been enough to accomplish her groups’ basic goals.

“It does not address gerrymandering," Turcer said. "It does not keep communities together. And it doesn’t prohibit drawing a district map to favor or disfavor one political party. These are basic things you want in any proposal.”

Gov. John Kasich says he’s willing to step in to help Republican lawmakers and citizens’ groups work out a deal. Hours before talks broke down, Kasich told reporters that any plan must have minority party input. But he suggested the citizens’ groups opposing the lawmakers’ plan may be just trying to turn out voters for their November ballot issue.

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Kasich wants lawmakers to work it out

“If these districts are not more competitive, then you either go hard right or hard left and we all lose in the end," Kasich said. "Hopefully, they will work something out here, and the outside forces won’t win because I think some of them want to block any success here.”

Talks are continuing, but lawmakers are running out of time. They will need to pass their plan before Feb.7th to get it on the May ballot.

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The debate over how to draw Ohio’s Congressional districts continues at the Statehouse as lawmakers and leaders of a coalition of citizens groups talk behind closed doors. The GOP lawmakers want to put their redistricting plan, which lacks any Democratic support, on the May ballot. And if they do, the coalition, which wants to put its own issue before voters this fall, is promising a fight.

An Ohio Senate committee is set to consider a plan Tuesday devised by legislative leaders to change the way Ohio’s Congressional district map is drawn. Some key lawmakers have been behind closed doors trying to hammer out an agreement with minority Democrats to get enough of their buy-in to make passage viable.

Democrats are opposed to the plan offered by Republicans in the Senate, because they say it would still allow gerrymandering.

If the U.S. is supposed to be a representative democracy, when did this county go from voters picking their representatives to politicians picking their voters? Congressional district gerrymandering has an ongoing effect on communities throughout Northeast Ohio, many of which have been split awkwardly in an effort to build voter blocks within specific communities. From Dec. 18 through Dec. 22, WKSU News examines the practice of gerrymandering - its past, present and possible future. Stories air daily during Morning Edition and will be posted on WKSU.org and on Facebook.

Supporters of a redistricting plan that might be on the November ballot are critical of a Republican bill being considered by Ohio lawmakers that would let them retain control over the process of drawing Congressional district lines.

The Ohio NAACP, Common Cause Ohio and the League of Women Voters of Ohio have been gathering signatures to put a proposed redistricting plan before voters this fall. The League’s Ann Henkener says the lawmakers' alternative plan would not stop the gerrymandering that's part of the current process.